BillyRadd Music

Billy Radd Music

Sunday, October 12, 2014

Paul Revere - One Special Man

1938 - 2014

In Memoriam - One Special Man

As a teenager and fan of Paul and his Raiders in the 60s, I was in an impromptu garage band that played for about a year at local parties for our friends in basements and garages, and outside at backyard bar-b-ques. We loved to cover The Raiders songs because the kids all loved to dance to them as much as we loved to play them.

In college, Where the Action Is was a popular TV show that most of the residence of my dormitory at Kent State U would watch every afternoon (after classes, of course) in the downstairs lounge. Paul's slapstick comedy routines were of special interest to all of us and laughter would often roll through the halls. I know that watching his fun way of looking at life, and his great, infectious music affected my life and the lives of my friends in many ways. I still have most of his early albums and play them occasionally when I want to lift my spirit.

Then, many years later in 1992, as a freelance film maker, I had a chance and work with Paul on a music video project through a meeting set up by a mutual friend of Ron Foos. I traveled to Reno with an assistant and worked closely with Paul, his wonderful wife Sydney, and Barbara Bogart on a video for Syd and Barb to promote their recording of Two Little Girls from Little Rock.

It was dreamlike for me for the first few days working with Paul at variuos locations in Reno in creating the video because I was in such awe of his wide-ranging creative talent and just plain blown away with the opportunity to work with one of my rock and roll heros. But, as many others have said about him, Paul seemed so easy to get to know and treated me like an old friend from the beginning of our relationship. During my 40+ year career making films I never had a more loving and generous "client".

About halfway through the project I confessed to Paul that I was a really big fan of his, had always enjoyed the Raiders music, and never missed one of their many TV appearances when I was in high school and college. A few minutes later he ceremoniously presented me with the above autographed VHS copy of a film about him and the band. Wow! Of course, I still have this tape, a great memento of us working together.

A few years later, I had the opportunity to go to a Raider's concert with my wife and youngest daughter in Spokane. I had called Paul's home a few days before and spoken to Sydney mentioning I was going to be at his concert. She generously gave me his cell phone number. During my cell call to him, while he was in route to our town, he suggested that he would love to see me and that I might want to wait in the autograph line after the performance so we could talk. We did wait and when it was our turn in line, Paul greeted me very warmly, spoke with us for a few minutes, made a special issue of introducing me, my wife and daughter to each of the Raiders, and gave me a big, big hug while telling me how glad he was to see me.

I'll especially never forget that moment. He was one special man and I'm sorry he's gone.